Large area LaBr3:Ce crystals read by SiPM arrays with improved timing and temperature gain drift control

TL;DR

This paper presents the development of large-area LaBr3:Ce scintillation detectors read by SiPM arrays, achieving high energy resolution and temperature gain drift correction, suitable for precise physics measurements and medical applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel large-area LaBr3:Ce detector system with SiPM readout that offers improved timing, energy resolution, and temperature gain stabilization.

Findings

Energy resolution up to 3% at Cs137 peak

Effective online temperature gain correction implemented

Detectors show comparable performance to photomultiplier-based systems

Abstract

Compact X-rays detectors made of 1/2" or 1" :LaBr3:Ce crystals of cubic shape with SiPM array readout have been developed for the FAMU experiment at RIKEN-RAL. The aim is a precise measurement of the proton Zemach radius with incoming muons. Additional applications may be found in medical physics, such as PET, homeland security and gamma-ray astronomy. Due to the high photon yield of LaBr3:Ce it was possible to use a simple readout scheme based on CAEN V1730 digitizers. Detectors, using Hamamatsu S13361 or S14161 arrays, have good FWHM energy resolutions up to 3 % (8 %) at the Cs137 Co57) peak, comparing well with the best results obtained with a photomultiplier's readout. Detailed studies were performed to correct online the drift with temperature of SiPM gain and to reduce the risetime/falltime of detectors' signals, that increased going from 1/2" to 1" detectors, due to the larger capacity of the used SiPM arrays.